By The UNCHARTED® editors · 5 min read
OUTPOSTS WE LOVE
The Arctic is the next frontier. Pristine wide-open spaces, polar bears, reindeer, and wolves thrive under aurora-lit skies and the midnight sun.
The African safari has long held its place as the ultimate pilgrimage for those seeking wild encounters framed by endless horizons. But in the northern latitudes, other wilderness frontiers are calling — plus the level of hospitality leaves nothing to be desired.
For travelers seeking their next remote, cinematic wilderness experience, the Arctic safari trades elephants for elk and lions for lynx, while still embodying the same ethos: guided exploration in untamed nature, luxury basecamps, and those electric moments when your tracker spots movement and raises a hand for silence.
Don’t Miss the Brightest Auroras of the Decade
Here, the wildlife includes wolves, brown bears, moose, reindeer, and — in the Canadian tundra or Svalbard's icescape — polar bears. Between wildlife sightings, you’ll glide silently through forests on cross-country skis, kayak through pristine fjord waters, let huskies tug you into landscapes that have remained unchanged for millennia, and then shed layers to warm in wood-fired saunas.
Spots are already filling — book your Arctic trip before it’s gone.
Then there’s the sky: In the summer months, the Arctic’s midnight sun floods the landscape with golden light, perfect for long, luminous adventures. But if you’ve always dreamed of seeing the Northern Lights, the timing couldn’t be better: winter 2025–26 marks the Sun’s most active phase in over a decade, offering a rare window for more frequent, vivid auroras unfurling in ribbons of green and violet.
The animals are waiting. The aurora is ready for its close-up. The Arctic safari is the next big adventure.
Octola I: The Lapland of Luxury
Finnish Lapland’s most exclusive lodge offers unparalleled access to remote wilderness and some of the best Northern Lights viewing in the world, with the auroras visible over 200 nights a year. Operating as a working research station, it hosts researchers who study the auroras and the exceptionally pure air — often ranked among the cleanest on Earth — so guests can experience the spectacle with unique insights from those who know it best.
Between aurora displays, spot wolves, brown bears, and Arctic foxes. The main lodge offers an Exclusive “Glass Igloo” suite with panoramic aurora views, whereas the two-bedroom villa includes a private wood-burning sauna, indoor-outdoor hot tub with retractable glass walls, and a chef’s kitchen for intimate dining. But their wellness program is their signature: It centers on restoration through breathwork, ice swimming, hot-cold plunges, and deep-tissue massage.
Octola II: More of a Good Thing
As of December 2025, Octola expands its reach into the same private wilderness, with the opening of a sister lodge. Surrounded by boreal forest and pristine snowfields, experiences focus on meaningful connections to both the land and local culture: learn Sámi folk songs around crackling fires, dogsled through silent woodland, and observe roaming reindeer herds. Like its predecessor, Octola II runs completely off-grid.
Sörla Camp: In the Land of Fire and Ice
Open year-round, Sörla sits where Iceland's elements collide. In summer, up to 22 hours of daylight invite hiking along trails surrounding the camp, horseback riding across volcanic fields, kayaking, and day trips to Gullfoss Falls and the Geysir geyser. Puffin watching peaks from May through August, and whale watching is also at its prime. Meanwhile, winter transforms the property into a Northern Lights theater (visible late August through mid-April), with ice caving, ice fishing, tobogganing, and snowshoeing on the list of activities in the colder months.
Four Swedish-designed Nordic tents inspired by traditional Sámi tipis blend canvas-camping rusticity with Arctic comfort, including geothermal hot and cold pools, private saunas, and radiant floor heating. An on-site chef prepares Icelandic-inspired cuisine with local spirits and curated wine pairings — warming you from the inside out.
The Aqua Lares: Floating Basecamp
Svalbard in summer defies Arctic expectations: the midnight sun never sets, snowfields melt, and the tundra bursts into unexpected color.
Enter Aqua Lares, an icebreaking cruiser available for both private charter or individual cabin bookings. Launching June 2026 and setting sail until September, she’ll navigate the Svalbard archipelago and the Arctic Circle. Expert naturalist guides lead every expedition experience, from tracking polar bears across pack ice and watching walrus colonies heave themselves onto the shore, to drifting past belugas and scanning cliffs alive with puffins and guillemots. Zodiac excursions carry you deep into fjords, while kayaks glide silently beneath calving glaciers.
History also runs deep through these waters: Step ashore at Gravneset’s whaling-era cemetery, where 17th-century graves speak of survival at the edge of the world, or explore the ruins of Smeerenburg, a former Dutch whaling outpost now reclaimed by Arctic wildlife.
Back aboard, 15 bespoke cabins offer refined comforts: a sun deck, massage room, and jacuzzi, plus award-winning cuisine and 1:1 service.
Blachford Lake Lodge: Soaring Into Polar Bear Territory
Northwest Territories, Canada
Reachable only by bush plane from Yellowknife, this Outpost delivers what Arctic safari connoisseurs crave: true remoteness without sacrificing comfort. Plus, there’s unparalleled Aurora viewing. What began as a 1940s trapper's cabin evolved into a fishing camp by 1981, then transformed in 2023 into a basecamp for Aurora chasers, travelers, and the occasional visiting dignitary or royal.
Beyond its lakeside location, Blachford is a gateway to exploring the vast beauty of the Canadian North, with Inuit guides positioning you safely near places like Auyuittuq National Park for small-footprint polar bear encounters, and narwhal, Arctic fox and snowy owl sightings — animals you definitely won't find at lodges farther south.
